Given
on August 29, 1996 on Feast of the Martyrdom of John the Baptist

My brothers and sisters in the Lord:

At the heart of Jesus' message is His call to courage, a theme that dominates
from the opening overture of the Christian era. The angel Gabriel, sent to
announce the Incarnation 2,000 years ago, exhorted Elizabeth and Zachary, then
Mary and Joseph: "Don't be afraid." The fearless witness of John the
Baptist, Jesus' cousin and herald, dramatically set the tone of Christian
courage, in his words and deeds, in his life and in his death.

From the outset of His public life, Jesus constantly challenged people to
courage, whether He was addressing large audiences or dealing with an individual
person suffering from a physical, emotional, or spiritual disability. Over and
again He challenged His apostles to overcome fear in the face of physical danger
(e.g., the storms on the sea), or in the face of spiritual trial (e.g., public
ridicule in evangelizing). He told Peter, as leader of the nascent church, that
he had to be the rock of courage, inspiring fortitude in his brothers.

Pope John Paul II, the successor of Peter, carries on the Christian challenge
to courage in a remarkable way. Courage has been the hallmark and clarion call
of his pontificate from the first day. "Do not fear" were the very
first words he uttered to the world upon his election as pope on October 22,
1978. The Italian phrase "Non abbiate paura" reverberated across St.
Peter's piazza that glorious day, inspiring the thousands present, and the
millions watching on television worldwide. If you have read his Crossing the
Threshold of Hope (1994), you know that the book begins and ends on that very
theme. His closing words are:

"The Pope who began his papacy with the words 'Be not afraid!' tries to
be completely faithful to this exhortation and is always ready to be at the
service of man, nations, and humanity in the spirit of this truth of the
Gospel."

It is not without foundation that the Holy Father refers to the challenge to
courage as a "truth of the Gospel." Further, he suggests that in our
day and age the strength of courage is needed more than ever:

"At the end of the second millennium, we need, perhaps more than ever,
the words of the Risen Christ: 'Be not afraid!' Man who, even after the fall of
Communism, has not stopped being afraid and who truly has many reasons for
feeling this way, needs to hear these words. Nations need to hear them,
especially those nations that have been reborn after the fall of the Communist
empire, as well as those that witnessed this event from the outside. Peoples and
nations of the entire world need to hear these words... [the Risen Christ] alone
can give the ultimate assurance when He says 'Be not afraid!'" (Crossing
the Threshold of Hope, pp.221-222)

Today's Cultural Intimidators

There is special need of spiritual courage among believers today because of
the uncommon power of a number of cultural intimidators that surround us.

Political correctness can often inspire a powerful fear of ridicule,
prejudice, or ostracism. It can cow a person into concealing or acting against
his convictions. It can exercise its influence over a wide spectrum of daily
life , from parish liturgy committees to state legislatures, from television
network news to scriptural translations. The power of fashion , "O tempora,
o mores!" , and the fear of not conforming, reduce personal freedom of
choice and dictate not only externals like clothing and music, but also
intellectual and spiritual values like truth and conscience. "It is not the
world's applause," said Pope John Paul this past June in Germany, "but
the faithful confession of Jesus Christ that is the sign of an authentic
disciple of Christ."

Sexual permissiveness is another powerful intimidator. Since the so-called
sexual revolution of the 1960's and 1970's, laws prohibiting adultery,
fornication, sodomy, pornography, contraception, and abortion have been
progressively lifted, spawning a general mentality that there is "nothing
wrong" with such behavior, that such practices do not harm the common good
of our society. The contemporary collapse of family life and values is
unrelated, they say, and government should not attempt again to promote self
control in matters sexual. In this kind of cultural climate, the courage to be
chaste is a special gift indeed.

Radical feminism has demonstrated its ability to substitute the traditional
"complementarity of roles" of men and women with "equality of
roles." As radical feminism promotes, for example, the acceptability of
cohabitation without marital commitment; as radical feminism demands that
abortion be readily available as an exclusively female option to bear or to
abort a child, it unwittingly justifies male abandonment and lack of commitment.
In the secular square, in the world of ideas, it takes a great deal of courage
these days to stand up to the sloganeering of radical feminism.

The culture of death, as Pope John Paul calls it, is extending its influence
in our society in removing laws protecting the life of the unborn, the partially
born, and the fully born who lack a requisite "quality of life." The
advocates of assisted suicide are using the same methods used so successfully by
the advocates of abortion: Justify the highly atypical case and you justify all
cases. Yes, it now takes an added dose of courage in our day for the medical
profession to stand up to those who are attempting to extend the role of the
doctor from the culture of life and healing to the culture of death and dying.

The Courage Of The Wedding Vows

The sacrament of matrimony requires two great forms of courage: (1) the
courage to bond exclusively and irrevocably with a partner; (2) the courage to
remain open with one's partner to the gift of children. Love is the source and
support of both of these forms of courage.

Those without the requisite courage, hoping to soften the pain of eventual
breakup, lower their expectations in entering marriage and hold back from total
self-giving in the indispensable commitments to permanence, fidelity, and
openness to new life. Some shrink from making wedding vows at all, preferring a
marriage-like arrangement of cohabitation without an exchange of mutual rights
and obligations. Some convince themselves that they are safeguarding their
long-term happiness by remaining unencumbered by the heavy personal commitments
of the marriage covenant.

The truth of the matter, however, is that a partner's long-term happiness is
promoted not by non-entanglement, but by the totality of one's self-giving in
the irrevocable and exclusive bonding of marriage. Is it natural to fear the
self-sacrifice required in marriage? Of course it is. Is it normal to have
serious second thoughts when it dawns on you that marriage and childbearing will
radically alter your life style and personal priorities? Of course it is. But
one of the strongest sacramental graces of matrimony is the ability to overcome
fear, and to realize that love can actually make it easy; and perfect love can
make it a joy.

The angel Gabriel was sent by God to bring a message to a virgin named Mary
in the village of Nazareth:

"Do not be afraid, Mary. You have found favor in the eyes of God. You
are to become a mother, and to bear a son, and to call him Jesus."

Who of us is unfamiliar with the story of the birth of Jesus, the story of
Christmas, the rejoicing of the angels and the shepherds...and then the menace
of Herod, the slaughter of the innocents, the hasty exile of Joseph and Mary
into Egypt in order to protect the life of their infant. Who of you parents
cannot easily relate to the trauma of learning that your child is lost, and you
do not know whether he's dead or alive? Who of you cannot relate to Mary's utter
relief and joy in finding her twelve-year-old son after three days of searching.

In the gospel narrative of the simultaneous pregnancies of Elizabeth and
Mary, and of the birth of John and then of Jesus, there are some striking
similarities and repeated themes. In both instances there was concern over the
impending pregnancy. The basis of concern for Elizabeth was her age; for Mary it
was her virginity. "Don't be afraid," said the angel Gabriel to
Elizabeth's husband, Zachary. "Don't be afraid," he said to Mary of
Nazareth a little later. "Don't be afraid," he repeated to Joseph.

In every pregnancy, there is bound to be concern and worry. It is only
natural that there be an element of fear involved in a pregnancy, perhaps an
initial fear of conception itself, and then, once the pregnancy is known, fear
of the impending delivery, fear of a birth defect, fear of the long-term
responsibilities involved. Sure, there is fear, for both the mother-to-be and
the father-to-be. And sadly, the secular culture that dominates in this age is
adept at exploiting those fears for its own ends, disseminating a powerful
anti-life ethic.

Of course, there is the natural fear of the father when he begins to think of
the financial responsibility this child will entail, the emotional demand the
child will make, the educational commitment involved. Fear? Of course. But the
angel has relayed a message from God: "Zachary, don't be afraid." And
the mother-to-be, fear? Of course. There's bound to be an element of worry for
the well-being of her child, an element of burden when she begins to visualize
the years ahead and the subordination of her own desires to those of her child.
Fear? Of course. But the angel has relayed a message from God: "Mary, don't
be afraid!"

The trouble with present-day promoters of the anti-life ethic is that they
simply fail to take into account the capacity of the human heart to love. They
fail to grasp the wisdom of ages, that the deepest and most lasting joys and
consolations of the human heart are found precisely within the heaviest
responsibilities we undertake. The obvious example? Childbearing and
childrearing. "Zachary, don't be afraid....Mary, don't be afraid."

The Courage To Answer The Call

Social scientists have observed that our contemporary culture, so markedly
different from that of 35 years ago, has conditioned our young people to avoid
long-term commitments. This would explain, for example, why we have witnessed
the growing phenomenon of cohabitation without benefit of marriage, the practice
of copulation without personal consequence (through contraception and abortion),
the increasing incidence of divorce, and the decreasing incidence of religious
vocations.

If young Catholic men and women today are not stepping forward in adequate
numbers to embrace the priesthood or religious life, it is not because they lack
the God-given capability to make a lifelong religious commitment. Rather, in my
judgment, it is because our culture openly questions that "God-given
capability" in our young people, thereby intimidating them, confusing them,
and sapping their self-confidence.

Confusion is a prelude to timidity; clarity is a condition for courage.

When young men, for example, are able to see clearly what the mission of the
Church really is, see clearly what the authentic message of Jesus and His Church
really is, see clearly what the demands of the priestly life really are , they
will more likely take that critical first step of contacting the right person:
the vocations director of a Diocese, or the vocations director of a religious
community.

When young women are able clearly to see through the hapless stereotypes of
religious life created by the media and entertainment industries, able to be
awed by the powerful counter-cultural witness of religious life, able to
appreciate deeply the focused corporate charism of a particular religious
community that is faithful to the essential elements of religious life, they
will more likely have the courage to take a step forward and see for themselves.
Clarity breeds courage; confusion breeds fear and hesitation.

Young people respond to initiative, directness, honesty, and candor. Young
people today, as before, have an uncommon generosity to "dream the
impossible dream." They have the élan to aim for the highest goals, to
give themselves to the most sublime challenges, and to think little of the cost.
That is the kind of stuff that sparks a religious vocation and makes the Holy
Spirit's action come alive in people.

In recent years I have met scores of young people who unmistakably have all
the personal qualities to make them outstanding priests or religious. They have
an unforced sense of self, an untroubled faith, an unselfish spirit. They are
respected by their peers and relate easily to elders and youngsters alike. They
are blessed with good health and good humor.

They have no phony illusions about the world or about themselves. They sense
the sacred as quickly as they sense the ridiculous. They know that they depend
upon others as much as others depend on them. In a word, they are solid in the
faith and solid in themselves as persons.

In the years that I have been a priest, the question most commonly put to me
is not: "Is there really life after death?" or "Is there really a
God who cares and forgives?" No, the most common question has always been:
"What ever made you decide to become a priest?"

The quizzical look on the questioner's face always baffles me. I can never
tell if (a) he or she thinks that dedicating your life to religion is absolutely
crazy, or if (b) at one time he or she was thinking along these lines and is now
curious about what was missing to take the step.

In this day and age, too often the missing ingredient is self-confidence,
that crucial kind of courage that springs from clarity. When young people take
the step to commit themselves for life to the priesthood or religious life, they
exhibit an extraordinary measure of courage. The burst of applause in the
ceremony of priestly ordination, for example, is a spine-tingling expression of
public admiration for such courage.

There was no applause, of course, for the rich young man of the gospels whom
Jesus called to become his follower. The call was personal and direct. The young
man demurred; he counted the cost and gave in to the fear of letting go.
(Mt.19:16-22)

On the other hand, the Blessed Virgin's fearless "fiat" ("Let
it be done to me according to your word.") will forever be the paragon of
answering God's call with consummate courage, total generosity, nothing held
back.

The Courage To Confess

One of the strongest steps in the spiritual life is to go over to church and
go to confession. The faith of Catholics is that God's forgiveness of our sins
is certified by the words of absolution given by the priest. Knowing through an
audible, visible sign that our sins are truly forgiven is one of the purest and
surest joys of our faith.

Getting to confession, however, can take a good deal of courage. First, there
is the cultural justification that can persuade us that whatever we've done is
not really worthy of personal guilt, since it's permissible on television,
permissible under the law, or permissible until someone catches me doing it. Our
modern era that rushes to anesthetize the sense of guilt, that recommends a
"not guilty" plea no matter the truth, would make confession an
unneeded and unwanted exercise.

Secondly, it takes some spiritual spunk to admit sincerely to another that we
are indeed sinners who are in need of graces far beyond our own resources.

Thirdly, expressing to a priest what one dare not express to anyone else on
earth can be an intimidating prospect, except for the fact that the need of
spiritual resurrection, the unfailing compassion of Jesus, and the seal of
confession converge to make this sacramental encounter something extraordinarily
uplifting for the human spirit.

One might say, in a nutshell, that the basic two-pronged courage we need as
sincere believers is simply the courage to profess and the courage to
confess...to profess one's faith, and to confess one's sins.

"Awareness of our own sinfulness, including that which is inherited, is
the first condition for salvation; the next is the confession of this sin before
God, who desires only to receive this confession so that He can save man. To
save means to embrace and lift up with redemptive love, with love that is always
greater than any sin. In this regard the parable of the prodigal son is an
unsurpassable paradigm." (Crossing the Threshold of Hope, p.58)

The Courage Of Conviction

In recent years adversity has deepened and clarified one of the hallowed
convictions of the ages , the humanity of the child in the womb. Governments
which traditionally provided protection for innocent human life, yet unborn, now
promote a woman's "right" to abort her baby, sometimes even engaging
or paying others to dispose of it for her. In a culture that "sees nothing
wrong" in destroying a pre-born individual, it takes an added dose of
courage to live one's conviction that human life is sacred, standing at the very
summit of all visible creation.

Yes, nowadays it takes a special strength of character to stand fast against
a culture of death, whether you are speaking of a distressed expectant mother, a
medical professional tempted to indulge in destructive "reproductive
services," or a legislator whose role is to create the laws that protect
our rights and indicate our common obligations one to another.

The Catholic legislator who votes to enact laws to legitimize access to
abortion is sometimes referred to as a "pro-choice" Catholic
politician. Many fellow Catholics have wondered aloud how a public person can
simultaneously profess to be Catholic and "pro-choice," since the
Church's constant teaching is unambiguously "pro-life," that is,
consistently recognizing the sacredness and inviolability of all human life,
from conception until death.

Some Catholics in public life have rationalized the apparent incongruity of
their public stand with this argument: the First Amendment does not allow a
legislature to impose religious beliefs on the citizenry. But the humanity of
the child in the womb is a religious belief. Therefore...

The trouble with this argument is simply that the humanity of the child in
the womb is not a religious belief, anymore than your humanity or my humanity is
a religious belief. It is a natural, observable, verifiable fact of life. We
don't need to make an act of faith to know that the life in the womb is human,
individual, and composed of all the elements of humanity that you and I have.
The fact that the Catholic Church has reaffirmed this obvious piece of
observable data thousands of times over the past two millennia does not
therefore make it a "religious belief." Even Roe v. Wade did not
resort to this specious First Amendment argument in legalizing abortion across
our country.

Catholics in political life who are "pro-choice" have a kindred
spirit and forerunner in one of Jesus' own acquaintances and admirers, a man by
the name of Nicodemus. John's gospel tells three stories about Nicodemus, who
was one of the 71 members of the Jewish government, the Sanhedrin, which
exercised legislative, judicial, and executive power from its chambers in
Jerusalem. In each of the three episodes narrated in John's gospel, Nicodemus is
seen as an honest believer in Jesus who nonetheless, because of his
distinguished position in government, gave in to the pressure of political
correctness (or "human respect" as we used to say) and hid his
personal convictions about Jesus from public view.

In the first episode (John 3) Nicodemus wanted dearly to meet Jesus but he
made sure that nobody saw him associating with him. He visited Jesus late at
night "under the cloak of darkness." In the second episode (John 7),
in the chambers of the Sanhedrin where the debate that day was mercilessly
vilifying Jesus and was leading to a plot to destroy him, Nicodemus, in an
effort to defuse their enmity, rose to address his colleagues, but only on a
point of order, without revealing his personal convictions about Jesus.

In the third episode (John 19), after the crucifixion and death of Jesus,
Nicodemus inconspicuously came to the wake bringing an expensive gift of
embalming herbs. Once again, he came "under the cloak of darkness,"
lest he be recognized as a believer.

Nicodemus, as honest and generous as he was, has never been canonized by the
Church. Why? Because, in spite of his faith and generosity, he lacked that
all-important virtue in the believer who serves in public life , the courage of
his convictions.

Courage At The Core Of Community

The characteristics that Jesus imbued in His church, the features that would
enable it to be recognized as his church, have traditionally been called the
four "notes" of the church , unity, holiness, catholicity, and
apostolicity. Each Sunday in the creed we affirm together: "We believe in
one holy catholic and apostolic Church."

Outsiders sometimes marvel at the unity of the Catholic Church, a worldwide
society that exhibits incredible oneness of structure, belief, worship and law.
The publication of the Catechism of the Catholic Church in dozens of languages
around the world is a recent example of that remarkable unity.

Because of that characteristic unity, when internal voices of dissent and
discord are heard within the church, this "uncharacteristic"
phenomenon therefore appears quite newsworthy, and is often highlighted by the
news media.

The binding, unifying force of community is love. Where love prevails, there
you will find that oneness of the ecclesial community that Jesus prayed for
before his death. On the other hand, where dissent and dissension prevail, where
Catholic attacks Catholic, where love is lacking, the life of the community is
injured and the whole body suffers.

As in Jesus' time, present-day attacks can come from opposite sides, from
those who think that church life or leadership is too strict, and from those who
think that church life or leadership is too lax. Jesus suffered the slings and
arrows on one side from the Pharisees, on the other side from the Sadducees.

Oddly, it sometimes happens that those who sow disunity, whether in a parish
or in a diocese, believe that they are demonstrating courage by standing up
"on principle" and attacking fellow believers. But virtue, as St.
Thomas Aquinas pointed out so sagely, "stands in the middle," neither
deficient nor excessive in its reach, but balanced and reasonable. Bravery
ceases to be virtuous if it overreaches into bravado; courage ceases to be
virtuous when it soars to rashness and recklessness.

No, real courage is found in those who quietly work for unity in the church,
who endure the attacks of the discordant with patience and charity. Where
charity prevails, unity ensues, and the community of God's people can get on
with the work of achieving salvation as brothers and sisters in the faith.

"Be Not Afraid"

If courage is the strength to overcome fear in order to do what is right,
then I pray that the Holy Spirit, in delivering the great gift of courage He
promised you in your Confirmation, will sear into your soul a recurring refrain
to sustain you the rest of your life: "Be not afraid."

Parents, don't be afraid to engage your children at any age in religious
dialogue, and to challenge them to a stronger Catholic life. Don't be afraid to
discuss their possible religious vocation.

Presidents of Catholic colleges, don't be afraid to insist on the Catholic
identity of your institution in its purpose, its policies, and its personnel.

Fellow priests, don't be afraid to preach the "hard sayings" of
Jesus' message. At the same time, don't be afraid to show compassion for the
pain of the human condition. Always remember what Jesus said to his 12 apostles
as he was sending them out to preach:

"Do not let them intimidate you. Nothing is concealed that will not be
revealed, and nothing is hidden that will not become known. What I tell you in
darkness, speak in the light. What you hear in private, proclaim from
housetops." (Mt.10:26-27)

College students, don't be afraid to be "practicing Catholics"
before the eyes of your classmates.

High school students, don't be afraid to be chaste, and to be known as such.

Elementary school students, don't be afraid of those who can bully and bait
you, but only of Him who has power to judge your soul.

Doctors, don't be afraid to confront the "culture of death" that
promotes or condones abortion and euthanasia.

Legislators and judges, don't be afraid as Nicodemus was, to act openly with
the courage of your convictions.

Parishioners, don't be afraid to respond to the voices of dissent and
disunity with a chorus of harmony and unity.

My friends, don't be afraid to stand up for Christ and his bride, the Church.

Epilogue

I will never forget that glorious Sunday morning in Oriole Park, Camden
Yards, Baltimore , Oct. 8, 1995 , when Pope John Paul II celebrated Mass with
50,000 people alternating between rapt devotion and boisterous exhilaration.

He was offering this Mass, he said, "for a strengthening of that
vitality and Christian courage at every level of the Church in the United
States: among the laity, among the priests and religious, among my brother
bishops...This is what the successor of Peter has come to Baltimore to urge upon
each one of you: the courage to bear witness to the Gospel of our
redemption."

In his homily the Holy Father continued:

"There is no evil to be faced that Christ does not face with us. There
is no enemy that Christ has not already conquered. There is no cross to bear
that Christ has not already borne for us, and does not now bear with us... 'The
Spirit God has given us is no cowardly spirit...Therefore, never be ashamed of
your testimony to our Lord' (II Tim. 1:7). Thus wrote St. Paul to Timothy,
almost 2000 years ago; thus speaks the Church to American Catholics today."

Uniquely, powerfully, here was the world's consummate profile in courage
speaking to us about courage.

I pray daily for you, that the gift of courage which the Holy Spirit promised
you on the day of your Confirmation grow deeper and more pervasive in every
facet of your life, especially as you face the hardest decisions and heaviest
crosses on your path to eternal life.

As for me, your bishop, I can only say, in the words that St. Paul wrote in
the final lines of his letter to the Christian community at Ephesus:

"Pray for me that I may courageously make known the mystery of the
gospel...Pray that for its sake I may have the courage to speak as I
ought." (Eph.6:19-20)